My poor neglected blog......

Life has been full and busy....School has been full steam ahead....and I have great intentions that I do not have time for! I downloaded a bunch of pictures awhile ago to post here and have done nothing with them. And now my WONDERFUL PARENTS are here and I am taking more pictures....so I thought I had better post these quick as next week I will want to put up fresh pictures.

These are random pictures of us enjoying Maine's most beautiful season....Autumn. There are also pictures from Mandy's recent visit. (I so enjoyed spend a few moments with her!) and pictures from a few church activities. I am sorry for not being more diligent to post as of late. I have company for a few days and then we are going out of town for a week, so I cannot promise to be better in the next few days, but intend to be back on track shortly. I hope this post finds all of my blog friends well. God has been very good to us and I am so glad that we serve Him!










































































I hope to chat with you again soon!

Thanks for stopping by,

Hello, Friends!

What a busy month this has been! Praise the Lord that such a beautiful season is here. I am so enjoying Autumn decorations and the anticipation of the changing of leaves. The downfall is that Winter follows Fall....and in Maine that means everyone becomes much more housebound. But we will talk about that later....when we have to deal with it! ;)

I have always thrilled when my children pick flowers for me. I have already oohed and aahed over more Dandelions than most people will even see in a lifetime...but how it delights my heart when these humble offerings come through my door. To be loved by my children is such a priceless blessing. I am often reminded how frail and humble my gifts of service to God must appear to Him...yet it makes Him feel loved and special because it is a gift from His child...me!

With that said, Joshua brought me the very first flowers he had ever picked of his own accord. He was pleased with himself and these were clasped tightly in one hand with his other hand in Rachel's. Rachel had taken him out for a walk and he felt like such a big boy! I quickly took a picture of this sweet love offering as my baby's "gentleness" assured these plants a very short life ahead...



And speaking of flowers, one of the precious children from our church, Connie, brought me these lovely blooms. The children of the church certainly love and spoil me! I can hardly walk through the door without getting a note, candy, gift, flowers or hug. God is so very good to allow me to be a teacher. What an amazing honor!



We have been so very busy with so many wonderful things! And we have been getting school up and running. It has been a rough start. We ordered our curriculum later then normal....we switched parts of our curriculum which requires study and adapting on the part of the teacher....and I have 5 different grades to teach. All of this has required a great deal of my time. I know many of my blog friends home school more than 5 different grades in their home, but this has proved challenging to me. God is requiring growth out of me...and the stretching can be painful! LOL So, blogging becomes a low priority during those times. I have missed reading every one's blogs, but I am hoping to have our routines all smooth and happy by October. I sooooo love schedule, routine and organization!

A few random pictures of our recent days....

Joshua fresh from a bath...and I mistakenly asked Daddy to please comb his hair! (I should know better than that by now!) :)



Joshua with "his Hana." He adores her and is missing her very much! (Can you hear him all the way over there in India, Hana??? He keeps asking for you!)



Patch Club sang on the Bickfords last Sunday here...



Some of my children have outgrown their Club shirts, so we purchased some new ones. One of the out grown ones has been given to Joshua. He is still too young to join Club, but he was thrilled to be like his older siblings. He jumped up and down in excitement and was proud to wear Patch the Pirate shirt to nursery! How cute!



Our football party was last week and the boys had a good time. I was so busy hostessing the event I did not get many pictures....but here is one shot. Not all the boys are in it though...



One of our church buses needed painting....so that has been an ongoing project this last week. What hard working church folk we have! I have learned that painting a bus is no easy chore! We are excited that it is near completion...



Now off I go to do computer projects for people I love! I am looking forward to going out to breakfast with Nicole this week(I am so glad she is home!!!) and am anxious to see Mandy. I am so glad she gets to come to Maine for a visit. What a great week ahead! Hope to chat with all of you in blog land sometime again soon!

Until the next time....

Thanks for stopping by,

Our First Week Of September...

Well, hello!



Such busy, busy days here! So many times I have things I want to share here...but that requires time. And that has not been something I have in overabundance.

I won't list all the reasons for that as it doesn't matter...and most of you have similar stories to tell. But I would like to share some pictures from our first week of September.

On Labor Day we spent a family day. I realize for most families that holidays mean gatherings with friends and family. We tend to be the opposite. We spend a great deal of our life with people and helping people (And we LOVE that!), but when the summer holidays roll around we tend to like to hibernate a bit. We like to really emphasize our family unit and we strive to do things that our kids will love. Our kids love these days and Ricky declares them his favorite in all the world. As a parent that means a lot to me as I want to not only create special memories for them to remember, but teach them that memories are made of love and time spent together.

We took the kids to a local school playground that they had never played at before...and were they ever excited!! How fun to hear their excitement and watch their antics. Joshua was especially challenging to keep up with as he has no fear and wanted to try everything!

Ryan immediately found something to climb...





Joshua on the swings...




...and everywhere else he could be!







My cute boy Jonathan dressed as a conductor...



He is always on the run!






He melts my heart!




Our Jack...






Our pretty girl...




Our oldest...






Basketball, one of our favorite sports...




Need a break already?



My husband never wants to miss out on the fun. He is on the play area, too! (I love that man!)



Upside down again...reminds me of camp!



The day also included ice cream, garden harvesting, a cook out and lots of goofing off together. It was sad to see the day end, but we were thankful for our wonderful day.

School decorations...I love visuals and always tend to turn our living room into a full-fledged classroom as much as possible. The children enjoy it. Here is the start of our annual Fall transformation...










We have done more since these pictures were taken. And we are excited about the curriculum changes we have made this year. It is almost all here-Finally! The art books from A Beka are WONDERFUL! Our Creation Science course looks fun and we are anxious to dive in. Saxon math is a new change for us and the kids are excited about the variety. My young ones are enjoying wood pattern blocks and Geoboards thanks to Amy's recommendation. We also are loving Serpentiles and Rush Hour (Thank you, Mom!). We love logic puzzles and these both fit the bill perfectly.

Crayons were not this "cool" when I was a kid!



Ryan and Joshua...



The egg experiment...want to see something neat? Soak an egg in a glass of vinegar for a week. Wow! When you throw it on the ground, it has a balloon-like covering left. Science is more fun with these kinds of projects...





Our kids and their friends singing at a church meeting recently...




More amazing sketches from Ryan! This first is his rendition of the Colosseum...



And a lighthouse. I love how he included a beacon!



My husband found this beautiful large candle holder for my kitchen. (For you fellow Maine-iacs, yeah Mardens!)Isn't it lovely? So many times I will get a jar candle with a scent we enjoy but the color does not match my kitchen. (Yes, that does matter to me!) Now it won't be a problem! My husband is always on the lookout for things he knows will bring me simple pleasures. I am spoiled and know it. What a delight to be Rick's wife!


It is hard to believe that it is less than a week away before our friends return to India. What treasured moments the children have enjoyed together. Rachel and Hana have especially enjoyed many good times this summer...



We all hope this next year flies by...



Maine is a beautiful place to live in the Fall. Hope this season brings you as much color and joy as it does us.

And once again...

Thanks for stopping by,